The present invention generally relates to instruments for bending rods.
A wide variety of instruments are known in the art for bending rods. One such style of device utilizes a three-post bending combination in association with a handle or lever combination. In such a device the center post is generally located at the pivot of the two-arm device and each of the two outer posts are mounted on an arm so as to be pivotable therewith about the center post. Application of manually applied force to the handles or lever mechanism generally causes the outer posts to orbit about the center post in such a manner as to bend a rod-like article positioned between the center post and the outer posts about the center post.
An example of a bending tool utilizing a three-post bending combination is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,117 to Richard Rawson. Another example is embodied in the device known as a French Rod Bender. The latter is illustrated in FIG. 1.
The hinge pin (or center post) of both the French Rod Bender and the Bending Tool described in the Rawson patent, have only one surface available for bending rods.